Not what I heard. Its supposed to fly January 18, 2005.
Superjumbo to take to sky within weeks
Aircraft to be launched in Toulouse on January 18
Daily Post ( Liverpool) 11/24/04
author: Steve Bagnall
THE first Airbus super jumbos will take to the sky within weeks, company bosses yesterday revealed.
Commercial A380 flights are likely to start in 2006, with airlines still queuing up to buy the massive plane, the wings for which are manufactured at Airbus UK in Broughton, Flintshire.
Prime minister Tony Blair is expected to be at the revolutionary aircraft"s launch on January 18 in Toulouse, France.
The heads of state from Germany, Spain and France -- countries with Airbus factories contributing to the project -- are likely to be at the unveiling.
Scores of employees from Broughton have been invited to a repeat unveiling the day after, with hundreds of workers watching the momentous occasion on massive screens at the North Wales factory.
Six pairs of wings have already gone to Toulouse from Broughton, via barge and ship, for the final assembly.
Speaking yesterday at the French Airbus HQ in Toulouse, Broughton"s head of wing manufacturing Brian Fleet, said 139 aircraft -- 122 public service and 17 freighters -- are set to be delivered to airlines worldwide, including Virgin, Singapore and Air France.
Mr Fleet said: "This really is an international business.
"The first flight will be making aviation history. ""
In the last 12 months, another five airlines have joined the clamour to buy the 550-seater jumbo, including Korean and Malaysian.
Four aircrafts are being completed at a massive hangar at Airbus Toulouse, one of which will be unveiled in January.
More than 60 airports will see the A380 before 2010.
The A380F freighter fleet will enter service midway through to 2008.
Airbus bosses promised the super jumbo will revolutionise the burgeoning air travel industry and provide a solution to increasing plane traffic. It is estimated the number of passengers will double in 15 years worldwide.
By 2016, Airbus bosses said the 60, 000 A380 flights will move 10m more passengers through Heathrow without an increase in flights.
Currently a team of specialists from Broughton are over in Toulouse helping to finish off the super jumbos.
Mark Hibbert, 36, from Gwernaffield, near Mold, said: "It is awesome. It is a project we will never be able to work on again. There will not be another project like this.
"We have been working flat out to get the test flight sorted out. ""